Top 10 US Presidents

The President of the United States of America is the most powerful man in the world. The commander in chief of the world's most powerful military and chief executive of the strongest economy represents liberty, democracy, power, and wealth. The Constitution grants power to the President, empowering him to tackle the challenges that lie ahead for the so-called leader of the free world.

Colonists flocked to the land that is now America to start with a clean slate. With or without reason (depending on which side of the ocean you were on), American leadership became increasingly weary of British and European influence. As a result, distinguished men persevered to draft and introduce the framework to defend the Nation. The Declaration of Independence and Constitution have served as the blueprint for one of the greatest nations on earth.

Under any scenario, the US President stands out amongst other heads of state. George W. Bush is currently at the helm as the 43rd President of the United States. His leadership has been tested, perhaps unlike any previous head of state. But as history would suggest, all leaders can legitimately state that their challenges were new.

This leads us to reflect upon American history in order to determine who some of the greatest Presidents in America's star-spangled history were. The following 10 men were as different as they were similar but shared some common traits: Leadership, Geographic Expansion, Foreign Policy, Economic Growth, as well as having left the nation in a better situation than where it was upon being sworn in. For this reason, the list only looks at past Presidents who have had a successor.

Number 10

James Knox Polk (served 1845-49)

The youngest ever at the time, James Polk ranked as the first ever "dark horse" President when he assumed the position at the age of 49. His repeated victories over more popular men prompted Whigs to sarcastically ask, "Who is James K. Polk?" Ironically, prior to Polk's inauguration, President John Tyler signed the joint resolution authorizing the annexation of Texas, effectively helping Polk deliver half of his party's platform even before entering the White House. It was under Polk that the US achieved some of its greatest territorial gain.

The first time he addressed Congress in 1845, Polk laid out the Polk Doctrine that was in essence an extension of the Monroe Doctrine. Polk opposed "any European interference" in any region in the Americas — effectively putting the US on par with Europe. Victory in the Mexican War in 1848 helped the US expand until the Pacific Ocean. Acquiring Oregon from Britain further gelled the US "Manifest Destiny."

Polk served one term voluntarily and only spent 37 days away from his office. Like all Presidents, Polk was not sheltered from criticism; antislavery proponents suggested that Polk sought to expand geographically in order to increase the area over which he could control slaves. As time has passed, Polk's overall legacy is one of the US pulling up to Europe and gathering steam.

Number 9

Andrew Jackson (served 1829-37)

Andrew Jackson strengthened the role of the President as the popular leader. Midway in his presidency, Jackson vetoed a bill to renew the charter of the Second Bank of the US. He branded the band as a dangerous monopoly that "failed to establish a reliable currency." On a larger scale, this led to the solidification of the economy at the expense of laissez-faire capitalism. In 1932, Jackson had to deal with South Carolina considering a tariff unconstitutional. He obtained congressional approval to send in Federal troops. In the end, no state could cancel a federal law.

But Jackson was great because more so than anyone before him, his time was one in which the common man would rise to the surface. Jackson applied this philosophy to seeing that he used all the powers bestowed upon him to "let the people rule." His resiliency and toughness earned him the nickname "Old Hickory." The first President to be born in a log cabin, Jackson was one of the founders of the Democratic Party and won the Presidency largely thanks to winning the new frontier states.

Number 8

Harry S. Truman (served 1945-53)

Like all Presidents, Harry Truman's record is not intact. After all, some historians maintain that Japan either had or was about to surrender when he dropped not one but two atom bombs on hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But give a man so much power and he will err... and indeed, "to err is Truman."

Perhaps no other great President had such a mixed record. Indeed, Truman took credit for ending World War II. However, Roosevelt had all but handed Truman the victory. Nonetheless, it was Truman's (along with Secretary of State Dean Acheson) vision that paved the way for the Marshall Plan containing the Soviet Union and paved the road for its collapse decades later.

Truman was a passionate patriot who spoke the common language and could communicate with voters. With a "Work hard, do your best, speak the truth, assume no airs, trust in God, have no fear" philosophy, this came as no surprise. He never went to college, yet managed to win despite the odds. Truman's victory over Dewey in 1948 remains an upset for the ages. What American hasn't seen the picture of Truman hoisting a newspaper headline that precipitously claimed that "Dewey Defeats Truman"? Truman is most remembered for his "The buck stop here" mantra, and his actions echoed this philosophy.